Shuffle Up: Wideout and tight end fantasy prices, rest of season

The Shuffle Up game is a rest-of-season game. Everything to this point is merely an audition. We’re trying to figure out what the players will be worth from this point forward.

Assume a half-point PPR scoring system. Players marked with an asterisk are highly-variable players because of injury concerns and returns. I’m generally not going to argue those guys; if you have better medical information than me, or more optimistic fortitude, good for you. There is no obvious answer on Chris Hogan, say, or Charles Clay.

The wide receiver board, in particular, is going to look strange to you. It’s been a horrible year for that position, partly because of more quarterback injuries than expected, and partly because of teams with widening usage trees. Each time you think “man, so and so looks too high on this list,” try to find a lower player you would elevate. It’s not easy.

I try not to get too wacked out over schedules, but some WRs have awful finishing kicks. Among them: CIN, DET, HOU, IND, SEA, SF. Still, talent is the best thing to chase after — some players have to keep a lofty rank, no matter who the opponents are. And everything in the NFL is in a state of flux, anyway — what looks like an awful matchup a month away could be an easy draw when the game is actually played.

I priced the wideouts and tight ends separately, so the mingled prices may or may not compare for your purposes. Your roster shape and specific depth will always have a big say in whether or not you should, say, trade Robby Anderson for Kyle Rudolph.

Game on. To the price list. Players at the same price are considered even.

Jones has passed the eye test in the last three games, and the stats are juicy too — three straight double-digit target games, and a 19-331-3 line. And the shape of the Detroit offense is probably going to be good for Jones — this team can’t run the ball and the tight ends aren’t a major part of the offense. If the Lions are going to produce, it has to come in the passing game, centered around Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate and Jones. The remaining schedule isn’t great, but offense still drives outcomes, and this is a passing game I’m willing to ride with . . . There’s only so low we can go with Hopkins, since Savage is prepared to pepper him with an insane amount of targets (16 last week). The efficiency is going to fall through the floor, but heavy volume and a leaky defense on the other side will cushion some of the drop. Will Fuller is the player more harshly impacted by the Deshaun Watson injury.

Four of the next six Patriots games are “late” games – after the 1 pm wave. You better be sure who’s in and who’s out. Could be a major pain in the neck for the dinged players . . . Sanu rarely looks like a special player on the tape, but he does have 15 catches and two scores in his last three games, and the Falcons can’t unlock Julio Jones for some reason (though Jones did drop an easy score in Week 9). Jones is also playing through a leg injury . . . Anderson has touchdowns in three straight games and 433 yards over his last seven starts. So long as Josh McCown stays healthy, this is a passing game you can trust. Anderson is clearly the preferred option over Jermaine Kearse, and the Jeremy Kerley suspension could free up a few extra targets.

Not much to say about the Packers wideouts; the Aaron Rodgers injury has torpedoed that passing game. A lot of the blame also falls on Mike McCarthy, who hasn’t been able to cobble much out of Brett Hundley . . . A lot of Benjamin owners were curious why he’s ranked this low. Simply put, football is hard, especially for wideouts who change teams in mid-season. The track record for these spots is not encouraging. And it’s not like Tyrod Taylor is a kingmaker at quarterback, or Benjamin is a dynamic, command-the-ball alpha dog on the outside. You can’t blame the Bills for making this deal at a reasonable cost, but that doesn’t mean Benjamin’s value is going to rise or even stay static. He’s a tough guy to start right now; I’d like to see a show-me game, a prove-it game.

Doyle is rarely going to have a lot of blowup games, though he did post a 12-121-1 showing two weeks ago. But look at the targets: 9, 14, 7, 11, 7 the last five weeks. That’s definitely something you can hang your hat on. And Jacoby Brissett has turned out to be better than almost anyone expected . . . Is there a secret-handshake narrative about to come about with Brate and Ryan Fitzpatrick, two Harvard products? Fitzpatrick has always been a player with obvious fleas, but at this point I’d rather see Tampa ride with a healthy Fitzpatrick than a clearly-compromised Jameis Winston. And Brate figures to keep a projectable level of targets, and regular goal-line opportunity.

I’ve been enjoying the ASJ revival and I realize he’s been jobbed on some touchdown calls, but just keep in mind his volume has been reasonable. He needs that touchdown to make his value every week. He’s playable, but not someone you necessarily have to start.

Bennett was merely $1 before the Packers cut him, by the way. Nothing happening here.

This has nothing to do with fantasy football, but this is what I listened to while I constructed, edited, tweaked, and finalized this list. This is about knowing who your friends are. Enjoy, and play it as loud as possible. Dedicated to members of the press, as it always has been.